The Last Morning
by phree
Summary: They are lying together, like they never thought they would. They were each others nightmare, and now they are each others hope, and a world of dreams. [Zutara][oneshot]


_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Avatar the Last Airbender.

Author's Note: The most beautiful way of shipping in Avatar is this… love triangle between Aang, Katara and Zuko. This oneshot is partly inspired by the movie "Tristan and Isolde" I have been thinking about making a long one inspired by that lovely story. But I don't know if I should do it in Avatar or Naruto. It fits almost perfectly in both…

Hm… anyway, reviews are always appreciate!

Phritzen

_**The last morning**_

She opens her eyes, and then closes them again; the soft lashes of her eyes touching the dark skin. He props himself up by his elbows and watches her breathe. Her face is still beautiful… He watches her, softly, knows she is awake, but doesn't hesitate to let her know that he knows. He has no desire to see her open her eyes.

The morning sun castes shadows over the wrinkled sheets, were they are lying, tangled in each others embrace. The windows curtains flutters in the soft breeze, like a ghost is tenderly caressing them. Just as tenderly as him when he let his finger follows the line of her jaw.

Slowly she opens her eyes and blue eyes meet his golden ones. Not a word is spoken between them. The early sunshine is colouring her skin, dark, smooth under his fingers. He knows how it feels under his hands, and that knowledge makes him being able to control himself. Her blue eyes are staring in to his, still stern even if his touch is gently.

He remembers the time he first thought about that wonderful sea sapphire eyes sparkled. In that cave, her eyes, the first time she didn't looked at him in fury or hatred. Her eyes were full of trust, something he rarely had seen ever before. But it had been a child's trust as she caressed his chin, just as he caresses hers now. Thinking she could heel him, thinking her magic water could change what destiny had put up for him.

As she stares in to his eyes, she stares at him with trust, but it is a women's trust.

Like he never thought she would stare at him.

They are lying together, like they never thought they would. They were each others nightmare, and now they are each others hope, and a world of dreams.

Without a thought, he leans forward to viciously capture her bruised lips in a kiss. His tongue streaks out and she tastes the metallic blood that had dried on his mouth. Tilting her head up unconsciously when they break the kiss, she shows him where he had bitten her.

A growl wells up in his throat as he checks the teeth marks, clearly seeing the deep marks where the canines and sunk in. She whimpers softly when he bends his head, licking the wound, and relaxes her head against his dark hair, their bodies a tangled mass between the white sheets of his bed.

"Zuko…" she moans into his hair, and the way she lets his name slide over her lips makes him shiver of lust. No one speaks his name like she does. The scratches on his back after her nails ache dully, but the scent of her dark hair fogs the pain.

"We mustn't… we can't…" she moans when his lips caress the tender flesh of her throat. "Aang…" she tries, but can't move away from his touch. His lips are heated and the way they moves down towards her chest, paralyzes her, but still makes every vein in her body to quiver. Like she is a lyre and he plays on her veins.

"Zuko…"

He blinks up at her, raising his head slowly and giving her a bitter smile. They both know they can't ignore or forget about the world outside. Not for more then a night. The world still exists outside the bedroom door.

The world that awaits the Fire Lord and the bride of the Avatar.

Wasn't this the reason that they had come together? To fulfil a dream and a fear and the destiny that had shoved them around for years?

"Zuko…" she says it quietly now, but still doesn't add more. Just raises her hand to touch his scarred face. Inhales the scent of ash and fire that always seems to follow him, mixed with the scent of his sweat.

"We can't" she says at last.

He snorts. "You told me that last night too" His voice is filled with sarcasm, as always. She is the only one who doesn't back down from hearing it. Perhaps because she knows it is just… the way he is. And she wouldn't want him any other way.

So she just smiles sadly at his words. "You know I meant it… Aang…"

He scowls at the name and looks away so she won't see the jealousy glint in his yellow eyes.

"Please Zuko, after tomorrow…" She puts her hand on his shoulder and feels it shake of rage under her touch.

"… you will be his wife" he finish bitterly.

It hurts her, seeing him like this. "I love him" she tries, but the heat from his pale skin only increase.

"Then why are you here?" he demands and jerks away from her touch, as if it burned him to be touch by her. Katara looks away from him, his desperate anger is of the same that boils in her own heart.

"We can't, Zuko" she says again, not being able to answer him. "In another place, in another time… perhaps… but not now, not like this…"

He doesn't response, nor does he look at her. He stares down at the sheets between them, her shadow over the white silk.

"I live in torture thinking of these moments" he says hoarsely, lowly, as if he is ashamed over his words. "Every look he gives you I get sicker and sicker" he continues and raises his gaze to meet hers, and his eyes are flaming of hatred. "There is a fire and a guilt inside of me I can not escape, I am betraying my people, I disgrace myself by betraying my friend. Does it make you happy to know that?" he asks her harshly, and the pain, the torture he blames her for shines thru his eyes.

"I am sorry, Zuko" is all she can say. "If things were different…"

"But they are not" he cuts her off. He doesn't need dreams or hopes of something that will never be. The fire in his eyes is gone. He stares down in the bed, defeated. His naked skin is pale in the frail light from the window. She feels her fingertips long for the touch of his skin, the sensation of his hair between them. It is hard to breath with so much desire. She reaches over to him, not ashamed over her nakedness as the sun caresses her sooth skin colouring it to gold.

She puts her hands on his chins, holds his face as she stares in to his eyes one last time. Yes, there are tears in her sapphire blue eyes. She wants to tell him. Tell him that is love was all that matters she would stay with him. If honour and duty was nothing in this world, things would be so much different. She wants to tell him that she loves him.

But as she gazes in to his serious eyes she realise that he already knows it. She strokes away a lock of his dark hair and places a soft kiss on his forehead. A kiss on the lips is too dangerous, to painful.

"Goodbye Zuko" she whispers and feels water drops fall down on her throat when he leans in to feel her one more time, one last time.

Knowing that staying any longer is too risky she release herself from his desperate touch and when there eyes meet one last time, they know they won't look at each other like this ever again.

"You…" he tries, but no words are enough. But she waits for his words, clung to the moment, this little, last golden moment of love, but it is already over.

_Your touch is the only touch_

_Your lips are the only lips_

_Your love is the only love_

_No more_

_This is the last morning_


End file.
